


The Champion

by GaeminiWinterborne



Series: The Winterborne Legacy [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Complicated Relationships, Dream Sex, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-13 10:08:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11757588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaeminiWinterborne/pseuds/GaeminiWinterborne
Summary: Letra rises from just a Bounty Hunter to becoming the Grand Champion of the Great Hunt. Now life REALLY begins, but what's in store for her throws her for a loop.





	1. The Champion

**Author's Note:**

> **SPOILER WARNING: THIS IS ABOUT THE SWTOR BOUNTY HUNTER CLASS LINE, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY!! CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!**
> 
> This work is going to undergo some revisions here very soon. Please bear with me while I fix my epic adventure. Sorry for any upset this may cause.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letra rises from just a Bounty Hunter to becoming the Grand Champion of the Great Hunt. Now life REALLY begins, but what's in store for her throws her for a loop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SPOILER WARNING: THIS IS ABOUT THE SWTOR BOUNTY HUNTER CLASS LINE, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY!! CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!**
> 
> I decided to start with my bounty hunter because I'm having the most fun with her right now. This is her first fight after being made Grand Champion and what happens when she meets the love of her life, but doesn't know it yet. There's also a little blurb at the end for what I think the love of her life was thinking at the time.
> 
> I did use the conversation that occurred in the game during this particular scene. The conversations between Mako and Letra are made up completely by me.
> 
> Mando'a word definitions are at the end of the chapter.

Letra Winterborne-Revel sighed, walking through the walled gate of the Mandalorian camp. Mako whispered as they moved toward a small gathering of Mandos, “Do you think they’ll accept you now that you’re Grand Champion?”

Letra shook her head and pulled off her helmet to look at the smaller woman, “No. Mandalorians are a tough bunch. They don’t accept outsiders easily, even if they have proven themselves in the Great Hunt.”

“But that’s stupid!” Mako argued, her brown eyes flashing with annoyance. “You’re a better hunter than anyone here!”

“A little louder, Mako? I might only have to take half the camp instead of all of it,” Letra sighed and ran a hand over her slicked back hair, then ensured the bun still held firm, keeping the rest of the black mass out of her face.

She paused her forward march and scanned the area, noting the cave in the corner, the injured Mandos. The ones that weren’t hurt were milling around together, talking, probably figuring out new ways to take the beast she’d been sent for. She scanned each face, but when her eyes fell on the blonde with the soul patch and the honor scars on his cheeks, her breath caught. “Perfection,” she whispered without realizing it.

“What?” Mako asked her, moving to her side to peer into her face.

Letra blinked and shook her head, “What?” She glanced at her friend and began moving with purpose toward the group with the pretty blonde man in it.

“I thought you said something?”

“Nah, just muttering, that’s all,” Letra lied when she was finally noticed by the blonde and then one he was talking to. _"Observant,"_ she thought to herself with an inner smirk.

The one with the short brown hair spoke first, “This is a camp for warriors, not hikers. You aren’t welcome here.”

Letra almost laughed in his face, but maintained her emotionless façade, “I’m here at the request of Mandalore.”

“And you are…?” he demanded.

The blonde spoke before she could, his voice rubbing over her skin like velvet. Letra fought to maintain her composure, “She’s more warrior than you, Jogo.”

Letra studied the blonde one up close and personal, from his dark blue eyes, the tussled blonde hair that nearly reached his eyes, the delicate scars on his cheeks. The fact that he was nearly a head taller than she was icing on the cake. She carefully took in a slow, steadying breath. That silky voice of his could incite a riot inside her, or worse. _"Thank the Stars I have an Imperial spy for a sister that helped me learn to conceal my emotions. I so owe her a bottle of Corellian Red,"_ she thought. 

“You’re one to judge, eh, _arue’tal_?” the one called Jogo snapped back.

Letra scowled at the name, snapping out of her reverie. She’d been studying Mando’a most of her life, through holos created by her mother’s protocol droid. She found the Mandalorians fascinating, and aspired to be like them. It's what drew her to Braden's offer. The Great Hunt was the closest she, the daughter of a Darth and a pirate, could ever hope for. And the money was good. But the word _arue'tal_... “Traitor’s blood?” she wondered what it could mean to the pretty one. But she said nothing, waiting to see how things would unfold.

“Huntmaster declared her Grand Champion,” the pretty one informed Jogo, his tone having gone flat. That was the only sign he was insulted. That he did nothing about it made Letra wonder even more about him.

“That true?” Jogo demanded bringing her attention back to him and his abrasive personality.

“You don’t want me to prove it, trust me,” Letra’s response sounded bored. She was tired of Jogo, and she’d only been in his presence about four minutes. She was beginning to wonder what would happen if she shot him. Her interest was in the pretty one, not the brat with the big mouth.

“Yeah? What if I do?” Jogo snapped back in response. Letra began to size him up, instantly seeing him as a possible threat. “Winning the Great Hunt doesn’t make you one of us. Finish up whatever brought you here, and go.”

Mako went to open her mouth, but Letra gently placed a hand on her arm, and Mako fell silent. But before Letra could speak, the pretty one spoke again, “Never mind. It’s an honor.”

Her nerves calmed a tiny bit, but she kept Jogo in her periphery as she looked at Mr. Perfect, keeping her cool, she threw out, “Nice to meet you too, kid. Got a name?”

“Torian Cadera. Not a kid.”

The conversation then turned to what she was after. Jogo interjected an insult here and there, but Letra managed to keep herself from snapping back, and Mako managed to keep her mouth shut. Neither were truly easy tasks to accomplish. The conversation ended with Torian informing her that if there was a bottom to the cave, the beast she was looking for was probably there. She nodded her thanks and waved for Mako to follow.

Torian was put out of her mind the moment she saw her first targets, her focus instead entirely on the hunt. The crawl was slow, but eventually they made it to the bottom and came face to face with the beast Torian called the “Sire of the Brood.” There was no doubt in her mind that this was the beast Mandalore wanted her to go after. 

The fight was intense; the beast knocked her around like she was a ragdoll, but she refused to go down. Half way through the fight, she realized she didn’t know where Mako was, but she couldn’t worry about her little friend. The beast would kill her if her focus changed even remotely. Finally, worrying at the beast until it started growing tired began to work. It started to slow, started moving in half measures, and Letra jumped in for the kill. She set both of her blasters sights on the left eye, and began to fire repeatedly. As it roared, she shifted her target to the softer places on its body, until it fell, landing in a bloody heap on the cave floor.

Tired and sore, Letra called out, “Mako!”

“Here!” the smaller female got to her feet a little slowly and made her way to the bounty hunter, from her position behind a stalagmite. “Sorry. He knocked me stupid the last time he hit me.”

Letra tipped Mako’s head back and looked into her eyes, “You’re concussed. I’ll fix you up when we get back to the ship. Good to walk?”

“Yeah, my head hurts, nothing else does.” Mako stayed close to Letra, still a touch wobbly on her feet, "I never bothered to look too deep into it, but how did you learn so much about medicine?"

Letra chuckled and went back to the beast, cutting off part of it to take back to Mandalore. She stowed it in her pack and began the ascent back to the surface, steadying the smaller woman as she helped her step over another body they'd been forced to create on their way down to the big bad, "My mother is a healer. Only she uses the Force. I'm obviously not a force user, and I had a lot of time on my hands, so I got her protocol droid to teach me. I spent a lot of time with that droid. If I wasn't with my dad, then I was with Twovee. I learned a few languages, medicine, the protocols in dealing with a Hutt and more from it. My dad, however, is the one who taught me to shoot. He said I was a natural."

"Your mom is a healer? And she's sith? What's your dad?" Mako asked as Letra took her elbow.

"I'm shocked you don't already know." The bounty hunter looked off into the distance as she led the two of them carefully up the incline, her eyes peeled for anything living that might want to eat them.

"I looked. Your family doesn't really exist, except that your mother is a Darth, but not on the council and your father is the captain of her ship."

"Best to leave it at that, then. If my parents went that far to cover up who my dad is, then leave it be."

"Oh, now you know I have to dig, Letra," Mako told the larger woman, as they exited the cave.

Torian was the first to notice their return, and Letra nodded in his direction before looking down at Mako, "I strongly advise against it. It won't be conducive to your life's longevity."

They reached the Mandos then, preventing Mako from asking or saying anything more. Instead, Torian took the Bounty Hunter's attention as he spoke, “She’s back, how’d it go?” He asked a twinkle in his blue eyes that made her want to smile at him.

“Find another hunting spot. This one’s a bone yard,” she responded, proud of her ability to keep cool in front of him. She needed to call her sister. She didn’t know why some guy was making her feel so off kilter. While she was enjoying it, it was also unsettling. Gaemini understood emotions better than anyone. And no man or woman ever earned this reaction from Letra.

“Impressive,” Torian nodded his approval.

“How did you kill it when so many of my clan have failed?” Jogo asked, his voice actually reflecting true curiosity instead of some vindictive need to make her feel like she was less.

Letra thought for a moment, seriously, before finally giving an honest answer, “If they had your attitude, it’s no surprise they failed. You’re so hungry for a fight, you don’t think about what you’re getting into. Bounty hunting is about fighting smart as much as fighting hard.”

Some of Jogo’s self righteousness returned then, “There must be something to what you’ve said. You killed it, they died…”

“I salute your victory,” Jogo stood at attention then, giving her honors for a righteous kill, and the respect earned for it.

Torian followed it by bellowing out, his fist punching the air, “Hail to the victor! Oya!”

Letra smiled and nodded to them both, “Good hunting to you all.” She motioned for Mako to come along, and the two of them left the Mandalorian camp as quietly as they arrived.

~*~

A few weeks later, Torian lay in his bunk, his mind wandering and finding its way back to the Champion. He dismissed his attraction to her because she wasn’t Mando, but the announcement went through the camp that morning, The Grand Champion of the Great Hunt was adopted into Mandalore’s clan, Clan Lok. That announcement took away his only objection to his attraction to her.

He shifted in his bunk, turning to his side, letting his eyes drift closed. He saw her plain as day wearing her white armor with bright red accents. The proud way she stood with her black hair pulled back away from her face, showing off the facial tattoo she wore on the right side, curling around her eye. Her eyes were intense, bright blue against deeply tanned skin. He wondered what she looked like without heavy armor covering up everything.

His stomach flip flopped, and he opened his eyes, pushing the thoughts away. He doubted she knew much Mando’a, but she heard Jogo call him _arue’tal_. He scowled, even thinking the insult made his blood boil. Jogo called him that whenever he had the chance. Most of the time, Torian was able to ignore it, but Jogo said it in front of the Champion that day, and Torian noticed the change in her countenance. He was sure she knew it as an insult, even if she didn’t know what it meant.

“Tomorrow,” he thought to himself. “Tomorrow I’m going to take care of that _aruetii_ , so I never have to stop myself from taking what I want again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> arue'tal [ah roo TAHL] - traitor's blood  
> aruetii [ah roo AY tee] - traitor, foreigner, outsider


	2. Returning with Honor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is Letra going to do with her new crew member and how he makes her feel?  
> A call to her sister doesn’t help matters much, a little bit of passion, followed by confusion… what else is there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SPOILER WARNING: THIS IS ABOUT THE SWTOR BOUNTY HUNTER CLASS LINE, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY!! CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!**
> 
> Mando’a translations are at the end of the chapter.

Letra sat in her bed staring at the security screen from her datapad. The image showed Torian Cadera settled down into a makeshift bed in the cargo hold of the ship. He was awake, but still. He was on her ship, he was part of her crew, and it was his choice. She tossed the datapad to the side and lay back against the pillows, thoughtfully. They were on their way to the planet of her birth. Jicoln Cadera, Torian’s father, was in a body bag on his way to Mandalore. Torian made the kill, and it still pained her to see the look on his face when he pulled the trigger. Such rage.

Torian seemed fine after committing patricide. To him, it was no more than killing a traitor to all of Mandalorian kind. She sighed and closed her eyes. Their meeting on Taris was no coincidence. Torian was there to reclaim his clan’s honor. She was there to collect an impossible bounty. Their paths were destined to cross again. She smiled a bit as she remembered him sneaking up on her after she let the Pubs go. He was so flustered when she told him she was eager to see him again after meeting him on Dromund Kaas. Granted, it was the truth, but it also worked to disarm him. What a way to meet someone again. She snickered to herself a bit.

The rest of the hunt for Jicoln was much, much less amusing. The _Geroya be Haran_ wasn’t played the way it was supposed to be played, or at least that was the impression she got from Torian. Jicoln watched from a safe distance and attempted to snipe her each time. Thankfully, her armor held out against the barrage of tech power that pummeled her. She would have the bruises for a bit.

Seeing Torian so badly wounded, though, in Jicoln’s so-called "home", caused Letra’s heart to nearly stop in her chest. He refused her help, but she forced it on him. Healing him to the best of her ability, which was ample. Torian injured the traitor in the process of getting hurt, forcing him to leave tracks as he scavenged for supplies that would allow him to hole up somewhere.

Their focus was so intent after he was healed, they took no time to get to know one another during the hunt. They both tracked and searched for the older man, alert and wary of every sound and movement. The one night they spent alone together, she made him sleep first, while she kept watch, then they traded somewhere in the darkness. Very few words were exchanged at all.

The next morning, they headed out at dawn, continuing the hunt for the traitor. At meeting up with him, Jicoln realized he was facing off against his son, and asked for a moment to speak with him. Letra refused to force Torian to talk to the man, so she left it in his hands. Torian didn’t give the other man a chance to speak, instead he just killed him.

That was the end of that. There was no pomp and circumstance. It was all so matter-of-fact that Letra was left a bit unsettled. This was the Mando lifestyle she admired most of her life, so it was something she had to accept. Especially if she was going to figure out what this thing was she was experiencing with Torian, and was he experiencing anything on his side of things?

Letra wanted to ask Torian to come with them, knowing he didn’t have any clan left outside himself. Instead of following her desires though, she wrapped up her business on Taris, giving Bloodworthy the scan he needed to verify the kill, and then ordered Mako to get the Mantis ready to bail on the planet, preparing for their next Blacklist bounty.

Jogo collected the body, and Torian was there with him. However, rather than leave with Jogo, Torian asked Letra to stay with her crew, which she accepted at once hoping she didn’t seem too pleased with the idea. When Jogo returned with the body from her cargo hold, he asked Torian if he was going with them. Torian’s simple “Nope” felt like a lock of some kind. A contract being fulfilled.

Jogo responded with, “You can finally show your face, and now you’re running off. Try to make something of yourself, _arue’tal_.”

Torian ignored it, but Letra turned and smashed her fist into Jogo’s nose, blood spurting. She stepped forward, looking from Jogo to the other two Mandos that were with him. Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion, “Consider this a lesson. Never insult anyone on my crew again. Let me make sure you understand me clearly. _Kaysh’ner. Tayli’bac_?” She pointed a finger at Torian for a moment, her eyes glaring into Jogo’s. “ _Tayli’bac, shabuir_?”

The other two Mandalorians snickered a bit at Jogo being brow beaten by a female so much smaller than he was, and Torian just stood there with his brows raised with a pink tinge to his cheeks. Jogo couldn’t talk around the blood running down his throat. Letra shoved him away, “I expect better behavior next time we meet, Jogo. Or there will be blood between us.”

She turned and clapped her hand to Torian’s shoulder. “C’mon,” she muttered to him and headed for the airlock that led into the Mantis. Gault stood at the open door with a smirk.

“See? Face on the back wall,” Gault reminded Torian of the words he spoke to him when the two first met.

Torian nodded, “Let me know what happens when she gets really mad, okay?”

“Don’t know what it looks like yet, and hope I never do,” Gault laughed. “Letra’s not so bad. She’s just protective of what she considers hers.”

Torian turned to Letra as they walked to the command deck of the Mantis, as it were, “So I’m yours?” There was humor in his voice, and Letra smiled.

“You’re now a part of my crew, Torian. No one fucks with what belongs to me. Ever. Period,” she looked at Mako and nodded. However, to the group as a whole she spoke bluntly, the softer edge disappearing from her tone. The difference wasn’t lost on Torian, “This is Torian. He’ll be joining us, so get properly introduced.” She didn’t stick around. Instead she made her way toward her room bellowing out, “Mako set us on a course to Hoth.”

Since then, she’d been in her room, except to eat and use the ‘fresher. She sent a message to Mako to get Gaemini on the line shortly after stripping off her armor. She kept looking at the datapad, wondering at first why Torian didn’t take a bunk for himself, then wondering what it was about him that made her so crazy. The fear she felt when she saw him so badly injured back on Taris rattled her. She hated the feeling of not knowing what was going on, or why, and Torian was a huge ball of “why” in Letra’s mind.

Her holo chimed and she answered tersely, “Yeah?”

“Is that any way to greet your sister?” Gaemini’s voice, thick with Imperial accent, came over the holo along with the washed out tiny image of her pristinely uniformed sister. She knew the colors were black and red, but they were just grey over the holo.

“Oh Stars, Gaemini! Thank you for getting back to me,” the relief in her voice was easily heard and Gaemini’s expression became concerned.

“Is something wrong with Mother? Daddy? Are you alright? Has something happened to Braenna or San-“

Letra interrupted, “Everyone’s fine the last I checked in. I have a problem this time, Gem. I really don’t know what to do.”

“Is this about the Republic coming down on you for killing that Jedi?” Gaemini asked a look of disapproval on her face. Even with the image so small, the look was impossible to mistake. It was the same one she carried every time she spoke to Braenna.

Letra waved a hand, “Hardly. I’m not worried about that. I met someone.”

“Male or female? And is it someone besides that rotten Deveronian you’re travelling with?” Gaemini looked over something on a datapad, then back at Letra.

“Male, absolutely perfect, and with a voice that leaves me feeling like someone has just rubbed my entire body with fur, or velvet,” Letra’s eyes closed as she remembered the reaction Torian’s voice had on her.

“I see,” Gem answered curtly. “Have you dreamed of him?”

“What? I’ve fanta-“

“No, no,” Gem interrupted impatiently, waving a hand. “Have you gone to sleep and seen him in your dreams?”

“No,” Letra answered curiously.

“How long has he been travelling with you?”

“A few hours. Why?”

“If you dream of him, my darling sister, and he shares that dream, it’s supposed to mean that you’re soul mates. Daddy told me that everything is touched by the Force. And when we find the soul that matches our own perfectly, that the two, when they’re in close proximity, will find ways to meet when you’re unconscious,” Gem explained as if she were describing some incident she was a part of. “I don’t know if I believe it or not, but Daddy had dreams about Mother all the time, and vice versa.”

“How do you know?” Letra asked softly, beginning to chew her lip in thought.

“I’m empathic, remember? I could feel their… love and arousal, and excitement-“

“I get it, I get it,” Letra rolled her eyes, not wanting to hear about her parents having sex under even the most normal of circumstances.

“Keep me informed if it’s true, Letra. I think it would be intriguing at the very least. What is this boy’s name?”

“Torian Cadera, he’s a Mandalorian.”

“Oh,” Gem deflated a bit. She looked behind her as though she were listening to something Letra couldn’t see, she said something to the effect of “Of course” before turning back to Letra. “I have to get back to work, my dear sister. I love you and I would tell you to be safe, but like Daddy, you won’t listen to a word of it. And if you see Braenna, tell her… Tell her…” Gem squared her shoulders, “Tell her I miss her.”

“I will. I love you too, Gaemini.” The call shut down and Letra fell back against the pillows again with a sigh. She called to the bridge of the ship, “Mako, how long ‘til we get to Hoth?”

“Few hours, yet. Get some sleep, Letra. You haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since before we went to Taris. We can go searching for the Trandoshan when you wake up.”

“You too, Mako. Get some rest.”

“Yes, boss,” Mako mocked the name Gault gave her and she laughed a bit.

Getting up, Letra changed into more comfortable clothing. Clad in a white A-shirt and a pair of skimpy boy shorts that barely covered the cheeks of her backside, she slid between the sheets and picked up the datapad. Only Torian wasn’t in his makeshift bed when she looked. She flipped through the security channels and finally found him in the galley, chopping up something. Impressed with his knife skills, she smiled before turning the datapad off. She dimmed the lights and drifted off into sleep.

~*~

_Letra whimpered in the darkness. Fear overwhelmed her senses. There was nothing but darkness. She turned this way and that, searching for something, she didn’t know what. Then she saw him._

_The tousled blonde hair that fell just short of being in his beautiful, dark blue eyes. The scars on his cheeks showing slightly more pale against his tanned face. He wasn’t wearing his beskar, instead he was in a pair of shorts and nothing more. His chest and abs were powerfully defined. He was slender, but there was no doubt of his strength when looking at his body. What normally was hidden by protective plates, her eyes feasted on hungrily._

_His long legs were muscled, flexing powerfully as he walked toward her. His arms and shoulders molded like those of a god. Only, he wasn’t a god. He was Torian of Clan Cadera, and she’d laid claim to him. He seemed so much more confident than she was used to seeing. The soft spoken young man with the weight of traitorous blood sitting on his shoulders was gone. In his place was a man who knew what he wanted, and Letra was the one who was uncertain._

_Torian touched his fingertips to her cheeks. The fear in her eyes almost laid him low. “So beautiful,” he whispered, then smiled as her brows furrowed in confusion._

_She wore a slave girl’s outfit complete with the collar. Her body was perfect for someone in her occupation. She was strong, without being bulky. She had muscle definition without losing the softness a woman needed. Her waist was pinched enough to give her an hourglass figure. Her long black hair fell to her low back in gentle waves. There was so much fear in her eyes, he felt compelled to take it away. His finger traced the tattoo that covered the right side of her face. Her skin was smooth to the touch, exactly as he imagined it would be. His eyes met hers, “You are perfection, my sweet.”_

_Torian pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her. He felt her arms slide around his waist, hesitantly, and he tucked her head in against his chest. “Let it go, beloved. Feel the strength in me, and share it. I am here for you. Listen to my words…”_

_Her voice was soft when she finally interrupted him, “I could listen to you for eternity, Torian. Your voice is the purest silk to me.”_

_“I will speak for you whenever you want it, but never forget to listen to my heart, beauty,” he tipped her head back to meet her eyes again. After a second of enjoying the sight of her bright blue eyes, he claimed her lips in a hungry kiss. It felt like they’d been apart for an eternity, and in that one brief moment, Torian knew that it would have to be Letra to stop their encounter. He didn’t have the strength to step away from her. He’d been alone so long._

_Letra moved her arms to twine around his neck, her fingers threading into the hair at the back of his head. She stood on her tip toes, straining against him. The fear was gone, replaced by the need to be close to him. Even with both of them scantily clad, and the majority of their bodies pressed together, skin to skin, it wasn’t enough. She whimpered her need against his mouth, and he deepened the kiss._

_Letra moaned into his mouth as his tongue delved into hers, exploring, tasting and teasing. She returned the favor and earned a growl as a reward. His arms pressed her to him tightly, as though he were trying to crawl into her skin. She tore her mouth away from his as he picked her up, panting, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively._

_He reached between them and lifted the front cloth of her lower skirt, leaving her bare and pressed against him. Her heat nearly burned him just below the navel. With a quick push, the cloth crossed over her breasts was out of the way. His head tipped back as her mouth and teeth began to worry at his neck and jaw. Soft kisses and licks followed by a gentle bite that bore promises of being more painful if she weren’t careful. He growled in frustration at his inability to see her exposed body and have her continue her teasing at the same time._

_His desire to see her won. He did the only thing he knew he could do, he covered her right breast with his hand, gently testing its firmness before he traced his forefinger around it in circles until he found her nipple. He caught the hard little nub between his thumb and forefinger, and Letra threw her head back, whimpering softly with the pleasure he brought her. Her hips ground against him erotically. Holding her the way he was, her back arched, he could see the entirety of her body._

_The tan that in conjunction with her dark hair made her eyes so startling covered her entire body. Her legs were wrapped so tightly around him, he could see the muscle tension. Her abdominals flexed and stretched as she writhed against him with pleasure. No longer able to bear it, he ducked his head and drew one dusky nipple into his mouth, sucking and tonguing against it. Her whimpers grew into moans and he growled against her skin, enjoying her cries nearly sadistically. He wondered how long he could make her endure the pleasure before he made her his..."_

~*~

Torian woke with a start. Blinking in the darkness, he tried to detect what it was that woke him. He looked over at the two droids sitting quietly in their charging locations. Twovee's eyes lit up as he spoke quietly, "Master Cadera, are you well? It seemed you were having upsetting dreams."

"I'm fine."

"Was I incorrect in my assumptions regarding your dreams?" Twovee actually sounded insecure in the decision it made to wake him.

"Wasn't a nightmare, but it's okay. Relax, Twovee," Torian looked up at the security camera staring down at the cargo bay and wondered if Letra looked the way he dreamed her to look.

He squeezed his eyes shut and grumbled incoherantly. What the hell was he thinking? He threw himself back down on the mat he was using as a bed and cursed softly to himself, “ _Haar’chak_!” He shifted his position to relieve the pressure of his pants on his groin.

What the hell was he doing, having dreams about Letra like that? He only just reclaimed his family honor; it wasn’t even likely that Mandalore knew what he’d done yet. She was part of Clan Lok, and Mandalore wasn’t likely to give someone so valuable up to someone like him.

_"As if I could actually control my dreams, anyway,"_ he thought, forcing himself to lay still, begging for sleep to come back to him again, but this time without the dreams. Without the feel of her skin under his hands, on his lips, in his mouth. The way she kissed him, everything was so clear as if it really happened. As if what happened in that dream wasn't just a dream. Just like her claim on him wasn't a real claim. Somewhere inside him, he knew it was real, but if she wanted to pretend it wasn't he'd let her. For now.

He let out a sigh, and closed his eyes, forcing his mind to think of things more benign. But someday he would really see how much she could take before he claimed her body as his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geroya be Haran [geh ROY ah beh HAH rahn] - a type of war game (lit. Hunt of Hell)  
> arue’tal [ah roo TAHL] - traitor's blood  
> Kaysh’ner [kaysh NAIR] - he's mine  
> Tayli’bac [TIE lee BAHK] - Got it? Okay? Understand? (Often very aggressive)  
> shabuir [SHAH boo EER] - extreme insult "jerk" but much stronger  
> Haar’chak [HAR chak] - Damn it!


	3. Lessons and Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months have passed since the first dream...  
> Letra makes a mistake and Torian realizes the dreams are shared.  
> There's a q&a, then a meeting with some of Letra's family via holocall.  
> Life just gets more and more interesting for our heroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SPOILER WARNING: THIS IS ABOUT THE SWTOR BOUNTY HUNTER CLASS LINE, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY!! CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!**
> 
> This is one of the scenes from the game that had to change a little bit. Sorry for the first bit (not really), but you’ll just have to chalk it up to my imagination and how it torments me.
> 
> Mando’a translations are at the end of the chapter.

_Letra arched her back under his calloused hand, her eyes closed against the onslaught of his seduction. His mouth whispered nonsensically against her ear and his fingers gently toyed with her nipple. Her teeth worried her bottom lip to keep from making too much noise._

_Finally, his breathing formed words, “Stop me, if you don’t want this.”_

_Her answer was to roll her hips upwards against his abdomen, rocking them against his body, nearly begging, her voice hiccupping with pleasure as she verbalized the plea, “Torian, please. I need you.”_

_He laughed softly and pulled back away from her. They were both naked. His eyes moved over her body greedily as her fingers clenched and unclenched, reaching for anything but the grass beneath her to hold on to. His voice was husky with desire and passion, “Then tell me what I want to hear.”_

_“Please!” she cried out._

_He smoothed his hands from her chest down to her hips, and then pushed her legs apart, exposing her to his eyes. His eyes took in everything, then looked back up at her. Her gaze was difficult for him to tear away from, but he needed her to confirm what he knew, “Tell me.”_

_“I did it!” she gasped and he leaned over her, putting his weight on one arm. “I claimed you as mine, damn it! Please, Torian!”_

_Her pleading tone was all he needed. With the confirmation, he moved his hips to finally claim her. The dance was almost two months old, and he couldn’t handle the teasing he was putting her through anymore either. As he moved to finally connect them, to make them one… she vanished._

~*~

Letra sat up in her bed, tears of frustration streaming down her cheeks. She wasn’t completely aware of what was going on around her as she got to her feet and stormed out of her room, ignoring the chime of her datapad. Her bare feet made next to no sound on the metal floors of the Mantis as she tore through the ship and down to the cargo hold.

Torian was sitting up, bare chested, his back curved as he rested his elbows on his knees, hands in his hair. He was sweaty and panting. She didn’t stop to enjoy the view; instead she shoved him back onto his pallet and straddled his hips, “You’re going to torment me until you get what you want? You want my admission? Fine. You belong to me, Torian Cadera. Let someone try to take you from me, and I’ll put a blaster bolt through them.”

Still as flustered as she was, she bent over him and bit his chest just over where his heart lay, leaving a neat set of teeth marks before taking her leave. She stormed back to her room before she could realize what she just did.

Torian just laid there, confused for a moment, but his senses picked up everything over the last few minutes. He smirked muttering to himself, “I knew it. She’s been acting strange since she punched Jogo. The dreams- she has them, too.” He got up from his bed, and began to clean up after himself, making sure nothing was left out before he went to the ‘fresher.

As he stood in the shower, he winced as hot water poured down over the bite mark. He touched it gingerly and chuckled, “Did she even know what she was doing?”

Meanwhile, Letra sat on the side of her bed wearing her ships uniform, a pair of loose fitting pants, knee high leather boots and a tank top with a long sleeved shirt buttoned half way up over it. Everything was black, except the tank top, which was red. Her hair was still loose and hung down over her face. Her position mimicked that of Torian’s when she stormed in on him that morning. Her fingers were tangled in her hair as she tried to figure out how to deal with the situation.

Over the past few months, she and Torian learned to fight side by side. They flirted with one another, between showing off shooting styles and cooking intensely spicy foods. But they didn’t get physical with one another. There were no kisses, no touches. Mostly, she was the aggressor. He was bashful, but not without bravery. He approached her in his own time. He asked her to dinner. He cooked for her. He showed off for her.

She sighed and flopped back on her bed, listening to the chime of her holocommunicator. She turned her head and looked at it, scowling. Straining, she just barely managed to reach it and flip it on. She expected Mako, or even one of her sisters, but instead Torian’s image lit up in faded monochrome, “Can we talk, Champion?”

She groaned and closed her eyes, rubbing a hand over her face. She didn’t look back at the palm sized device when she spoke, “About this morning?”

“Something like that.”

She turned her head to look at him, hating his washed out digitized image, “Come to my room. This discussion needs to be done in private.”

“Agreed. Be there in a minute.” His image vanished from the communicator and she sighed. She didn’t do uncomfortable. She wasn’t the most social person to begin with, and she humiliated herself this morning by being too caught up in the games they were playing in their dreams. She forced herself up off the bed and started to yank her hair up into its customary bun when the beep at her door let her know he was there. “Come in,” she snapped, fighting with the mass of black waves as the door slid open.

Before she could turn around, his velvety voice stopped her, “Leave it down, _cyare_.” His hands gently folded over hers stopping the agitated movements of her fingers. His touch was electric, and she suddenly wanted him to touch her more. She took a deep breath, attempting to slow her erratic heartbeat. Why was it when they were alone and fighting she had no problems focusing on the task at hand, but every other time, she couldn’t block what he made her feel?

Torian gently turned her to face him. His eyes sought hers, and when he saw fear there, his breath caught. He remembered the first time he saw that look, in a dream months ago. Without thought, he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her whispering softly, “Let it go, _cyare_ …”

“I could listen to you for eternity, Torian. Your voice is the purest silk to me,” she whispered verbatim, clinging to him.

Torian gasped, “You were in them all. You were there.” He squeezed her tighter, and then set her back from him. His eyes sought hers again, finding hers with tears in them.

Letra nodded, but didn’t say anything else; too afraid of what was coming. She wanted him. She wanted to love him. She already did love him, but her mother… her family… She couldn’t put him through all that.

“Torian…” she began, but he stopped her.

“I’m in love with you,” he stepped closer to her, his fingers grazing over her cheeks, his eyes locked on hers, searching for something. He continued, “I’ve known for a while. Just trying to figure out if I’ve gotten us both in trouble with Mandalore. Maybe I’m only causing trouble for me.”

“It’s just the dreams, Torian,” she moved her hands up as if to take his away from her face but she stopped. She couldn’t do it.

“No, it’s not, _cyar’ika_. The dreams are just more pure. They show us more of who we really are to each other. You’re afraid of something. Are you afraid Mandalore is going to try to kill me, or us, for this?” his hands cupped her face. He leaned in toward her, still searching her eyes.

“Mandalore’s likes and dislikes are the least of my worries,” she whispered, the tears falling. She pulled back from him, straightening her spine, “You don’t know anything about me. You don’t know…”

“I know what I need to know. You’re strong. You’re honorable. You always keep your word. You take care of those you love. That’s how I know you love me, _cyar’ika_. You fight for me. And in our dreams, you demand conversation, but you crave my touch. You pull away from it now, but tonight, when we meet again, you’ll reach for me like you always do.”

Letra searched for the words, but each time she opened her mouth to speak, the words wouldn’t come. Was he right? She had no doubts about how much she loved him, but would she reach for him again and again, despite knowing the insanity of her family?

“My family… You don’t understand…” she looked down, trying to find the words that would come out.

“My father was a traitor to our ways. The only other family I have is on this ship. I might not like your family, but you’re Mando now, your family has no authority over us.”

Suddenly, the words were there, none of them were actually pushing him away, “My mother is a Darth in the Empire. Her husband, my father, is a Republic deserter turned extremely violent pirate. I have a sister in Imperial Intelligence, a sister in the Republic army – Leader of Havoc Squad in fact, two sisters that are Sith and another that’s a Smuggler. With the exception of Braenna and Gaemini, we are the worst that the Empire has to offer. And even Gaemini’s sketchy with her job in Intel. Do you have any idea what being with me would entail? We are Mandalorian, but my family won’t care when it comes to getting what they want out of me, or us.”

Torian pulled her to him roughly, his arms wrapping around her body, fingers linked to lock her into his embrace, “I didn’t come with you because it was easy, Letra. I don’t think loving you was a choice either. From the first moment I saw you I was pushing you out of my mind, until you told Jogo, in Mando’a, that I was yours. Now you’ve marked me personally.” He chuckled a bit before continuing, “Which was adorable, by the way.”

She groaned and buried her face in his chest, her hands resting against his shoulders. She was positive she was blushing all the way to the roots of her hair. He continued before she could make a sound, “I don’t care if your family has the Emperor himself in it. You are mine, _cyar’ika_. And I’m not going to let anyone get in the way, except maybe Mandalore.” He looked sheepish at the last, but Letra understood.

“I’ll handle Mandalore. If you’re brave enough, or stupid enough, to love someone with as much baggage as I have, then I won’t refuse it. _Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, cyare_ ,” she whispered the last, her voice going husky just before she went up on tip toe and kissed him gently.

Torian lifted her off her feet, tilting his head to kiss her more fully. He was a little surprised that she was the one to coax him to deepen the kiss rather than the other way around. He had so many questions, but he needed this confirmation before anything else. He needed to know that this was real and not some phantom that would fade when he closed his eyes later.

His hands moved to her ass, and gripped tightly. Something inside him spurred him on. He broke the kiss enough to whisper against her lips, “Say it again, _cyar’ika_.”

“ _Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum_ ,” she responded obediently, running her fingers through his hair.

He growled hungrily and kissed her with all the force of what he was feeling. It was wild, maddening, intense and powerful. Letra reveled in it for a moment before pulling back; her breath forced her chest to heave against his. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his.

He moved his hands back up and slowly back down as they both tried to calm their breathing. He whispered softly, “ _Nar kar’ta, nar kot. Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum_.”

Letra sighed and stroked her fingers over his cheeks gently, before tracing the scars. She leaned back, opened her eyes and smiled. “We have a lot to discuss.”

He threw his head back and laughed. She enjoyed the sound, and let her fingers trail down his neck. When he sobered, she met his eyes, but he was the one to speak, “You tell me a lot we need to talk. You’re right. I have questions.”

“I know,” she moved to get off his lap to sit next to him, but his grip on her tightened.

“Stay here, _cyar’ika_. I need you close,” he landed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“I don’t want you distracted.”

“It’s worse when you’re away from me. _Gedet’ye_.”

She nodded and settled herself a bit more comfortably on his lap. “Let’s begin with your questions, then I’ll fill in whatever blanks there are left, if I can.”

“What is this, Letra? Why are we in one another’s dreams?” he smoothed her hair back from her face with one hand while the other held her against him.

“Gem, my sister, says that it means we are soul mates. That the Force within us recognizes the harmony of the other, and they come together when we’re unconscious. The closer we are in proximity, the more often it will happen, I suppose. She says our mother and father dream of one another often,” she smoothed her hands down over his shoulder to his chest. Her fingers lifting to skip where she bit him.

He caught her hand and pressed it to his chest over the bite mark, which was little more than a bruise at that point, so she could feel his heart pounding against her palm, “Why haven’t I heard of this before?”

“I supposed it’s very rare.”

“Have you experienced this before?” his eyes met hers, once more searching.

“Never,” she shook her head. “I'm usually the one to start a fight before even entertaining the idea of kissing someone.”

“Someone has to have tried?” he smirked a bit.

She shook her head, “No one has ever been brave enough to think it. If they weren’t intimidated by me, and my reputation, they were terrified of my mother and father.”

Torian kissed her temple and squeezed her tightly against him. The idea of her purity pleased him, but he couldn’t show it to her, not yet. Not until it was time for them to finalize their union – completely. 

He had so much more he wanted to talk with her about, but suddenly Mako’s voice cut through their sanctuary, “Letra, damn it! If your sister kills me, I swear to every star in the galaxy that I will haunt you for eternity.”

Reluctantly, Letra disentangled herself from Torian and picked up the holo, “Which sister?”

“One I didn’t even know you had! She calls herself Lord Baejiou.”

“Shit,” Letra muttered. “Connect me to her.”

Torian got up to leave, he trailed his fingers over her shoulders and she caught his hand, shaking her head while she waited for her eldest sister to pick up the call, “Please stay.”

Torian nodded and sat back down, watching Letra. Her nervousness was something almost palpable. Just the mention of this sister made her nervous; he couldn’t wait to find out why. His eyes were glued to the holocommunicator when he saw a woman that looked familiar. _“Of course she looks familiar, **di’kutla**. They’re sisters.”_

“Letra, my darling little sister. I’ve been calling for nearly two hours, what kept you?” the woman’s Imperial tone was polite and friendly sounding, but Letra wasn’t fooled.

“I’ve been having some personal… confusion of late, Baejiou. How are you?” Letra asked more cordially than Torian was used to hearing from her.

“I’m well, I suppose. You are aware, Letra, that it is not wise to make a Lord of the Sith wait so long, aren’t you?” the woman’s tone didn’t waver; it sounded just friendly as if she were having tea with a close personal friend.

“A Lord of the Sith, yes. I would hope that my sister, however, would forgive the wait, given that I am currently running from the Republic.” Letra’s voice was cajoling, almost like an akk dog attempting to appease a master.

“Why do you think I’m not telling you to come to me, Letra? I do hope your confusion clears up soon. My concern is with this little slicer of yours. I think you call her Mako? I wish to borrow her for a time.”

“Why are you asking me, Baejiou? Mako is her own woman.”

“Well, I am working on something rather important. Your friend could assist me greatly. But I am not working alone. My master, Darth Zash, is working with me. If your little friend angers her, I will not be held responsible for what happens to her. Of course, I will encourage my master to offer fair recompense.”

Torian saw the anger in Letra spike before her words were spoken, and he was afraid he was seeing what Gault stated that he hadn’t seen yet. It was suddenly not comfortable in the small cabin. Letra’s tone was clipped, and some of the words even came out with a hint of Imperial accent to them, “Mako is not a something that can be replaced with money, Bae- Lord Baejiou. You can find yourself another slicer. If my sister and a member of the Imperial government cannot take care of SOMEONE that’s on loan to them from an outside organization, then they cannot have access to that person. I will inform my clan leader that you called on me, why, and why I refused.”

“Your clan leader?” Baejiou actually sounded amused in the face of her sister’s anger. Or maybe it didn’t translate over the communicator. Torian wasn’t certain he’d like to see Letra and Baejiou fight, but he saw her fight Sith and Jedi before, and she could handle herself against both varieties of Force user.

“I have been adopted into the Mandalorian Clan Lok. It’s led by Artus Lok, also known as Mandalore the Vindicated.”

“Do you wish to start a war, _sister_?” Baejiou raised an eyebrow imperiously.

Letra laughed at her sister, and Baejiou’s expression darkened with anger. But Letra spoke, “Everyone has heard of Mandalore. I’ve never heard of your Darth. And I’m shockingly well travelled. Do you think the Dark Council would actually start a war over some no name Darth with the Mandalorians? Who do you think is more valuable? Your Darth? Or the Mandalorians as a whole? Let me know what you think when you’re done ironing that one out, _sister_. Until then, you cannot have Mako. First, she’s not my property, and second, I will _never_ allow one of my friends to have anything to do with someone who would find them worth something in money. Mako’s not replaceable. And I need her here. Sorry, _Bae_.”

Letra disconnected the call and started counting. Torian opened his mouth to speak and she held up a hand. By the time she reached ten, her holocommunicator chimed again. She answered it before even the image popped up, “Hello, Mother.”

Torian was shocked to see a pureblood Sith looking at his beloved through the holo. His eyes grew round for a moment, then relaxed when the woman poke in the same accent he heard her sister use only moments before, “Letra, your father wishes to speak with you.”

“As you wish,” she sighed as the holo projection showed a man walking into the view of the camera.

He wasn’t surprised to see the bald man with a facial tattoo as Letra’s father. He knew he was a pirate. He had no idea he was Andronikos Revel. Torian knew that face from holos he was shown on Tatooine, Nar Shaddaa and Alderaan. Letra always ignored them. Now he knew why.

“How’s my girl?” came the gravelly voice through the electronic sound emitters.

“Been busy, Daddy. If you’re going to try to chat me up about my slicer and helping my sister, don’t bother. Bae practically told me she’d buy her because ‘her master’ would kill her. I won’t let my girl go into that. Ever.”

“Wouldn’t expect you to, baby,” was the answer she got, and she relaxed until she saw her mother step into the image again.

“Is the girl really that important, Letra?” the Sith asked.

“Yes, Mother. She is. She’s been with me since the beginning of the Great Hunt. She’s closer to me than some of my sisters. But then, that’s not entirely their fault. It’s yours,” Letra crossed her arms.

“I agree. They have cut family familiarities for greatness.”

“I’d rather be dead,” both father and daughter spoke at the same time.

The pure blooded sith looked from one to the next and back again, “Neither of you are truly Force sensitive, you would never understand. Andronikos, you understand better than Letra because of the dreams-“

“I found my soul mate, Mother. Maybe someday I’ll introduce you. When I feel like I can trust you. I’ve never felt that way, though so I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Letra quipped. “But the dreams were nifty to find out about. From GAEMINI!”

The last word was a roar, and the pirate whispered something to the woman that made her leave the site of the holo. He looked back at the camera, “Baby, don’t mind your mother. Are you happy with this guy of yours?”

“His name is Torian. And we’re trying to figure out if we’re happy. This is all very new to us, all the way around. Though our link to one another, I think makes us a powerful team to fight against.”

“Who are his people?”

Letra looked at him and waved him over. Torian got up and joined her in front of the camera. He nodded to the holo image of Andronikos, “I’m Torian of Clan Cadera of the Mandalorians. Your daughter is a perfect Mando.”

“You were brought in, baby?” Andronikos smiled at her.

“I was adopted into Clan Lok by Mandalore the Vindicated himself, Daddy.” 

“Good. You got what you wanted, but never forget your blood.”

“I won’t, Daddy. You all piss me off too much, but I still love you.”

“Don’t hurt my baby, Mando. Her soul and yours are bound. Hurting her, being away from her for too long, it will hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. Trust me. Then there’s her five sisters, me and the Sith. Of course, none of my girls will have anything to get to once I’m done with you, but we’re on the level here. Got it?” Andronikos made the threat as cordially as if he were reading a shopping list.

“I would rather die than hurt her, Revel.”

“So you know me. Then you know I’m not fuckin’ around.”

“Daddy, that’s enough.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get on. Don’t worry about Bae. I’ll rein her in. You go figure out what to do with this new thing you got with that kid there. And baby. Don’t get caught. My sources tell me you’re being hunted by the Pubs.”

“Yeah, I figured Gem would tell you eventually. Kiss Mother for me. I’ll talk to you soon, Daddy. I love you.”

“Love you too, brat.”

The connection cut and Letra looked at Torian then, a worried smile on her face, “So, I imagine you’ve got lots more questions now, huh?”

Torian laughed before he kissed her into silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cyare [SHAH ray] - beloved, loved, popular  
> cyar'ika [shar EE kah] - darling, sweetheart  
> Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum [nee kar tail gar dah RAH soom] - I love you (lit. I know you forever)  
> Nar [NAIR] - my, mine  
> kar'ta [kar TAH] - heart  
> kot [kohd / koht] - strength  
> Gedet'ye [geh DET yay] - please  
> di'kutla [dee KOOT lah] - useless, stupid, worthless


	4. The Heart's Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Torian goes missing; Letra goes and gets him with her favorite Jawa. Things heat up, and pain gets brought to the ransomers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SPOILER WARNING: THIS IS ABOUT THE SWTOR BOUNTY HUNTER CLASS LINE, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY!! CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!**
> 
> This scene bugs me. It always has, even before I went through it. So it’s taken me some time to get through the details of it. Letra is not in a good head space for this one, so please forgive her “tangents.”
> 
> Mando’a translations are at the end of the chapter.

Two days. It was two days since Letra marked Torian. In those two days, her world went from hopeful to filled with rage and worry. Her new “friend,” Skadge, was annoying and so much of a nuisance she almost wished she could trade the convict in for Jogo. But he was useful, she supposed. 

She and Torian were finally a couple. They admitted their love to one another, and then were bombarded by her family, and then the Empire, Darth Tormen, summoned her with a chance to get out from under the Republic’s bounty on her head. They had no time for one another while the plans for an Imperial bounty were laid. Zale, the target’s name was. Hunting, fighting their way through a prison planet for nearly two days, sleeping in a small camp they shared, one awake, one asleep. Not even the dreams were there to remind either of them of how they felt about one another. It was all about business on Belsavis.

When she sent Torian away to keep Skadge from getting in her way, she had no idea things would go wrong. Not like this. He was supposed to stay com-linked. He was missing, and she was worried. With everyone on the Mantis, including the Houk, and Torian missing, she felt alone, even though she wasn’t. But he was alive. She knew that much. She could feel her connection to him, albeit distantly.

When he didn’t answer his holocommunicator, her worry expanded and she felt fear combined with anger. Anger that was ready to boil over. She looked at Mako, ready to send the slicer to get to work on slicing into the holonet to find out whom Torian last spoke with when her ship’s holocom went off. She turned to face it, a blonde man with a cross shaped scar over the right side of his face appeared and started speaking, “You’ve been a busy girl, too busy. You should spend more time with your loved ones before they’re gone.”

Letra growled, but before words could form, he continued, “I’m extending you an invitation. An opportunity to appreciate what you have, before you lose it. But if your little boyfriend isn’t marriage material, we understand. There’ll be plenty of other opportunities for us to meet. If you want a chance to say goodbye, come to Hoth. We won’t wait long.”

“Torian! We’ve got to save him!” Mako blurted out, as if that weren’t exactly what was on Letra’s mind.

Letra fixed her slicer with a hard stare; her voice came out low and cold, “They’re dead. They’re all dead.”

“If anyone can get him back safe, it’s you,” Mako tried to calm her friend down, but no one on the ship ever saw Letra like this. Only Torian saw a glimpse of her nasty temper, and only once. 

Gault backed away from the fuming bounty hunter. Skadge just stared at her. No one knew the Houk well enough to know what was going on in his mind. Blizz piped up, his tiny voice a growl when he spoke, “Boss and Blizz beat up bad people real good!”

“Or at least humiliate them to death,” Gault couldn’t help adding. When it came to the Jawa’s capabilities, he always felt Blizz was a little on the low side in the ability to help Letra. Letra didn’t dispute it, or agree either way in the entire time the little one was part of the crew. But for some reason, she enjoyed spending time with it.

“So what are we going to do?” Mako asked, looking at Letra, who begun pacing.

“Set a course for Hoth,” Letra commanded, her fist slammed into the wall as she moved out of the room and down the stairs to the cargo bay.

Mako went to the bridge and did as she was ordered, and Skadge went to follow the bounty hunter. Gault called after him, “I would leave her be for now, unless you want to wear your face on the back of your head.”

The Houk laughed and kept going. Gault looked at Blizz and Blizz shrugged, “Big guy stupid. Blizz get ready. Go help Boss, save Torian.”

Skadge found Letra sitting on a crate in the cargo bay, her blaster in her hands. She was going over it. The piece was clean, but it didn’t seem she cared. She twisted a bolt inside and snapped the casing back on before holstering it again. He didn’t care how she felt. He needed clarification on his role on this ship. “So what is there to do on this tin can, anyway?”

“I’m not here to entertain you,” she ground out without looking up at the big guy.

“Look, I don’t do bored, girlie. I get bored and things die,” he drew a line across his neck with his thumb to demonstrate.

“Master, please don’t do anything rash. He does not understand how things work here,” Twovee pleaded.

Letra ignored the droid, tightened her tuning bolt, and then reapplied the casing. She didn’t need to see the convict’s face to know what the motion his hand made. His body motions told her what he was doing, even though she never looked up at him. She forced her voice to sound patient, “Let me explain things to you real simple like, Skadge. This is my ship, things are my way. You don’t like it, you can get the fuck off at the next port. But when I’m dealing with a crisis situation, don’t come at me aggressively or you’ll earn the full attention of my temper. So go talk to the protocol droid, and if you break him the way you broke that astromech on Belsavis, I will hunt you, skin you, and serve you up fried for the next rancor I come around. Got it?”

“What’s the big deal? He’s a scrawny kid. I could break him eas-“ his words ceased as he suddenly found himself with a blaster pointed at his head. His new boss’ eyes were emotionless. He approved. She could kill him and feel nothing. She was the kind of person he could respect.

“Torian is worth thirty of you, Skadge. I will never leave him behind. I am the one that decides the value of each member of my crew. The only thing you’ve proven is that you can piss me off and beat up on a man that’s already down. Do not ever challenge me on my ship, Skadge. I let you come along, I can also blast your ass out an airlock,” She lowered the blaster, but didn’t holster it. Her eyes stared up in the big guy’s face, daring him to annoy her further.

When nothing came from Skadge, she spoke again, “Twovee, show Skadge to his bunk, and give him the brief tour of the Mantis. Then show him how he can entertain himself while he’s on board. Until then, make sure everyone knows to leave me the hell alone.”

“Yes, Master,” Twovee turned its attention to Skadge. “If you would follow me, please.”

Letra was left alone, and that was exactly what she wanted. She returned her attention to her blaster, continuing the tuning. She was doing the busy work on her blasters to keep her hands busy. It helped her keep a focus until she could get Torian back.

Letra was calm, or at least it appeared that way on the outside, when they arrived on Hoth. She headed back up to the corridor the crew met in when she needed to disseminate instructions. At her call, everyone gathered. The even keel to her voice made most of the crew uncomfortable as she spoke, “Mako, get this boat ready to take off as soon as we have Torian. I hate this planet. Blizz, you’re with me. Skadge, no one gets on board the Mantis, and I mean no one that isn’t part of this crew, until Blizz and I get back with Torian. Gault, get the med bay ready. If he’s hurt, my field supplies will only hold us until we can get him on board. Everyone clear?”

Everyone, including Skadge, agreed. Letra looked at the big alien, “There’s a vibrosword in the cargo hold. Gault can get it for you. That will replace your ‘puny’ thing.”

Blizz bounced on his little feet, “Blizz ready go, Boss. Save Torian.”

Letra nodded, “Let’s go.”

The two headed out. Up the lift, and onto a speeder bike. Blizz sat in front of Letra as the two of them sped through the frozen waste of her birth planet. They arrived at an abandoned facility and made their way through. The two were quiet, but nothing moved as they cautiously walked through the place. When they reached the courtyard of the building, Letra spotted Torian and the man from the holocall. She made her way toward them. Torian was sitting, his hands bound behind him. He was struggling against the bonds.

“I was starting to think we’d have to finish without you,” the scarred man spoke, his tone smooth and humorous.

“You have no idea what you just got yourself into,” Letra responded coldly. She didn’t look at Torian again, instead, keeping her eyes on the threat.

He pulled a blaster and aimed it at Torian’s head. Letra’s anger turned to rage. The man spoke again, “You don’t say? Why don’t you come a little closer and explain it to me.”

Letra caught a flicker of movement from the platform above her and to the right, but she didn’t look at it as she walked toward Torian and his kidnapper. An ambush. She was expecting it anyway.

Torian yelled, “Ambush, run!”

The scarred man backhanded Torian, “You didn’t tell her anything she didn’t already know anyway. Take her!”

Blaster fire tore through the area, and time seemed to slow down to Letra. One up and to the right, aim, fire. One behind the rock behind and to the left, Blizz had him. Breathe. Deploy a Kolto droid on Blizz. One up to the left, aim, fire. Then her sights settled on the leader. He moved in front of Torian, but she saw nothing but him. Blizz was busy, she could hear him moving around, but her focus was all for the one with the mouth.

She snarled at him, her teeth bared. Both blasters focused on him as she shot to injure, not kill. Right shoulder. Left hip. She charged him as she fired. Her feet hitting the metal grating loudly. When she reached him, her right hand with her blaster still in hand, she hit him across the face, then jerked him down. Her knee connected with his face, and blood smeared the pristine white of her beskar. When he hit the ground, she delivered a kick to his ribs, hearing a satisfying snap.

She stood there over him for a few seconds, catching her breath. Blizz was babbling something to Torian and struggling with his bonds. She holstered her blasters, and turned away from scar-face. She worked her way over to Torian. His vibrostaff was on the floor next to him, along with his blaster and blaster rifle.

Torian looked up at her with a smile, “That’s my girl.”

She gently patted the Jawa on the head. The little one looked up at her, “Blizz fingers not good for break Torian free.”

“I’ve got him, Blizz. Thank you for all your help,” she put a small device Mako gave her against the cuffs, and they dropped off Torian’s wrists.”

“I owe you. Again. My turn to be bait. I guess,” Torian looked a little embarrassed.

“Well, I always did find you attractive,” Letra teased with a smile. Torian picked up his weapons and put them back where they belonged in various locations attached to his armor.

“Lucky me,” he grinned at her and gave her a quick kiss.

“Boss. Boss! Umm… Boss!” Blizz bounced on his feet frantically, pointing at scar-face.

“H-how? This should have been total overkill,” he gasped, holding his broken ribs. “I want out. I don’t care how good the money is, it’s not worth it.”

“You’re begging the wrong person,” Letra responded blandly. Her eyes went to Torian. “Your call.”

“They went too far,” Torian muttered. He pulled his blaster and shot scar-face at point blank range. The guy fell over, dead. He holstered his blaster, “Dues paid. Finished?”

Letra smirked, “You know, I was actually starting to miss you.” She turned to look at Blizz, “Blizz head back to the ship. Tell Mako to get together some data for our next target.”

“Yes Boss!” Blizz bounced once, and then headed off in a hurry.

Letra turned to Torian, “Don’t you do that to me again.” She stepped into him and hugged him to her, grateful to see him alive and relatively unharmed.

“I’m sorry, _cyare_. They used an old associate of mine to lure me out. I thought he might be able to help me get the Republic off your back,” he squeezed her tight, breathing in her scent.

She leaned back and looked up at him, her fingers stroking down his cheek, “I was so scared, but I knew you were alive. I could feel it. Like you were there, but far away.”

Torian leaned down and kissed her, “From now on, we do things together. I won’t go off alone, and you don’t either. Fair?”

“You’re going to get sick of me.”

“Never,” he smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Can we leave here now? Or were you here for more than just me?”

“No, I came back to this ice ball for you. No one is allowed to take you from me.”

Torian laughed as they started heading out of the facility, “I remember. Blaster bolts were mentioned.”

Back on the Mantis, Mako prepped the ship for a jump to Voss. Letra wanted to eventually visit the neutral planet anyway, to find out more about this bond she had with Torian. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she pulled Torian to her room. She called out to Twovee, “Unless the ship is being attacked or has broken down and we’re all about to die, don’t bother me.”

“Yes, Mast-“ was all she heard the droid say before the door to her quarters slid shut and locked. She immediately began removing Torian’s breastplate.

“What are you doing, _cyare_?” he asked softly, not stopping her from removing his armor.

“I need to see,” was all she said as she carefully set his chest piece down, and then pulled his gauntlets off. Next was his boots, then the arm guards. She was being methodical and careful.

Once he was down to his pads and under armor body suit, she studied him carefully, testing him, her fingers pressing in various places. When it occurred to him what she was doing, he laughed, “The only injury I got was from the blaster when he hit me in the face for warning you.”

“You didn’t fight them taking you?”

He shook his head, “I was drugged.”

She removed his pads, and then started to peel him out of his body suit, “I have to see with my own eyes.”

Seeing how serious she was about it, Torian helped her remove the garment. He was down to his shorts when she stepped back and looked him over completely. She fingered a bruise on the inside of his arm, and then the one resembling her teeth marks over his heart, “Is this all?”

“I promise, _cyar’ika_. It is,” his eyes met hers, and he realized he was standing in her room, with almost no clothes on, and the door was locked.

Torian moved toward Letra, his fingers moving to the clasps of her chest piece. Letra was frozen in place, her eyes focused on Torian’s face. Her heart rate increased and color flooded her cheeks as he meticulously removed each piece of beskar. It didn’t take long for him to have her down to her body suit. His eyes met hers as he peeled her out of the unitard, leaving her in her under clothes.

Torian took in her appearance. The clothes she wore in the dreams were more unusual and impractical. She typically wore very feminine, flowing garments or items that were virtually non-existent. This was real, and her clothing was much more practical, except her panties. They were plain with no frills or lace, but the small triangle at the front gave way to a thin strap that went around her hips. Everything was white. The small tank top she wore was small enough that it hugged her breasts tightly, but barely fell to the bottom of her rib line.

Nothing she wore left anything to the imagination. He was grateful that he saw her the way she really was physically, with the exception of the scar that creased her chin below her lip. He swallowed, not certain if his body would be able to bring her the pleasure she deserved, given their late night frustrations. It was a while since the last time he was with a woman as well. But he would do everything he could to make sure she had problems walking after this encounter, even if it took him more than one time to make it happen.

“ _Mesh’la_ ,” he whispered. He reached behind her to the ring that held her hair, deftly unclasping it. With a quick twist of his hand, her hair tumbled down her back.

“Torian, I’ve never-“ she started, her cheeks brightly stained with a blush.

“ _Ni kar’tayl_ ,” he whispered. “ _Ni ijaat_.” His fingers traced her eyebrows, down to her cheekbones as he studied everything, remembering every detail of how she looked in that exact moment.

Letra stood there, awed by the look on his face. For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to do. She stood there and let him touch her. Her heart raced and her breathing hitched when his fingers drifted to her shoulder, fingering the thin strap that held the cover she wore under her armor.

Torian lowered the strap, pushing it off her shoulder before he stepped into her and placed a gentle kiss on the faint line the cloth left on her skin. Her breath hiccupped again, and he smiled internally. He was thrilled at the reaction he was having on her. The fingers of his left hand curled and pulled the other strap down. Slowly, he dragged the cloth down her arms, until she lifted them free of the straps. The cloth clung to her breasts, but he gave a little tug and it peeled free of them. He didn’t look. He left the scrap of cloth that covered her chest wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him. The feeling of her skin against his sent tremors through his body.

Letra wrapped her arms around Torian’s neck when he buried his face in the crook of her neck. His lips pressed heated kisses against her flesh. Her fingers threaded up into his hair, a soft whimper escaping her. His name came with it, and his head came up to look her in the eye.

“I love you, Letra,” his voice was slightly hoarse, but the effect on her was the same. Goose-flesh rose over her arms and chest.

“I love you,” she whispered, her fingers slid from the back of his neck to his cheeks. His arms held her securely pressed to him. She pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Torian scowled for a moment, letting her kiss him tenderly. He turned his head and kissed her fully. He traced her lower lip with his tongue to coax her mouth open. When she complied he groaned into her mouth and encouraged her to return his explorations.

Letra’s body was coiling tighter as she followed Torian’s lead. She was nervous, but the need was building in her, like a snake coiling around inside her body. She tangled her tongue with his, and he pulled her so tightly against him she almost couldn’t tell where his skin began and hers ended. Then her feet left the floor as he lifted her easily in his arms.

He turned, took two steps and gently placed her in the middle of her bed. He went to his knees on the edge of the bed and watched her for a second before he crawled closer to her. “Lift your head, _cyare_ ,” he spoke softly and smiled when the goose-flesh rose over her skin again. She wasn’t lying when she told him his voice affected her.

She lifted her head with a little help from him, and he swept her hair up and out, fanning it around her. He smiled at the picture she made. She watched him, her eyes a little glazed as she studied him. He moved, parting her legs to give him room to kneel between them, and her breath caught again. He walked himself down over her with his arms, holding his weight off her as much as he could. He slipped slightly to her side, resting on his elbow. His free hand smoothed over her shoulder and down to her breast while his lips captured hers once more. Instantly, the kiss went deep and she arched her back into his hand.

Letra brought her leg up, hooking it over Torian’s hip. Her hands were in constant motion, trailing over the skin of his shoulders and down his back. When his lips left hers, and trailed down her cheek to her jaw and over her neck, she breathed out his name again. She didn’t know what was happening to her body, or how she wasn’t dead from the knot of need in her belly.

Torian’s head ducked and his teeth bit down sharply over her left breast, leaving a neat set of teeth prints. She winced at the pain, and then relaxed as he planted soft kisses against the irritated flesh. His tongue traced from the bite down to her nipple, teasing it roughly.

Letra moaned, her body twisting slightly before her nipple was drawn into his mouth. Her breath caught and she whimpered. He shifted, his hands framing her breasts, his weight resting solidly against her lower body and abdomen. He released her nipple in one long tug before taking the other in his mouth, replacing his mouth with his fingers. Her hips rotated against his muscular stomach.

He stopped, and it took her a moment to realize the singing in her blood was cooling. He watched her face as she calmed, and finally opened her eyes to look at him. Her voice was breathy when she finally spoke, “What’s wrong?”

“Do you want this? Me? Now?” he asked softly. “I didn’t give you a chance to say ‘no’ if you wanted to.”

She arched her back and drew herself up to kiss him, her teeth nipping his bottom lip in the process, “Yes. Here, now and only you. I don’t want to have the first time we make love be in a dream, Torian. I want to know you in reality first. I need you, _cyare_.”

Those words made him lose his careful control. He caught her mouth with his again, hungrily this time. He groaned against her, and his hands slid down her body, toying with the waistband of her panties and the shirt he pulled down only moments ago. She met his fervor with his own, and he tugged the two scraps of cloth from her body, breaking the kiss only as long as it took him to guide them off her legs.

She was completely nude beneath him. He was wild. His hands travelled over her belly, back up her side, around her shoulder and back down to her hip. His fingers tightened against her hip while their mouths were locked together. Her body was a jumble of heightened sensations, need and anxiety. She traced her hands down his back, her nails leaving slight red scratches and the kiss broke. Torian drew in a hissing breath, not of pain, but pleasure. Letra took advantage of their separation. She kissed his neck, pressing her chest up against his. She kissed and sucked at the salty skin of his neck, enjoying the taste and the sounds of his groans.

She was growing more and more bold. Torian needed to get control of the situation again before she had him come undone. He moved his fingers over the sensitive skin of her hip and slipped his hand to the inside of her thigh. Her body stilled, she stopped teasing him and looked up at him. The wild look in her eyes nearly had him acting like a school boy with a girl for the first time. He dipped his head to her neck and drew the tender flesh into his mouth sucking hard as his fingers found her center.

Letra’s hips bucked as Torian touched that forbidden area for the first time. His fingers explored gently, until he found the small kernel he was searching for. He pulled back from her neck, a look of satisfaction on his face. She could only look at him for a second before she cried out as he began to stroke her clit experimentally.

“Tell me,” he whispered above her. Her body trembled as he continued petting between her legs. She tossed her head to the side, away from his vision, ignoring his question.

“Fine,” he chuckled a little, and made quick work of removing his shorts. “I already know you’re ready for me, _cyar’ika_. He knelt between her legs, and lined up before guiding himself into her in one hard thrust.

Letra hissed at the unexpected minor sting. Torian was still, he kissed her jaw, her lips, and her eyes until she relaxed. Then he began to move, and the pleasure his fingers brought her was forgotten. She wrapped her legs around him and rocked her hips upwards, tightening down around the hardness moving inside her.

Torian growled, his jaw clenched and his eyes closed. The pain of her first time was over, and he was feeling her tight heat wrapped around him. His body was primed and ready to explode already, but he fought it off, biting the inside of his cheek until the pain overrode the pleasure, bringing him a sense of calm. He pushed up on his knees and looked down at her. Her nails were digging into the sheets at her sides. He pushed her legs open as far as they could go, until she was open to him. He could see her little engorged clit clearly. He licked his thumb and began to pet at it.

“Torian!” she cried out breathlessly, her stomach muscles tightening and bringing her shoulders off the bed a bit. He was moving slowly. She stared at his face. His teeth held his bottom lip while his eyes watched what he was doing to her. The intense pleasure caused her to cry out with each thrust that buried him inside her. She fought to keep grip on her legs, holding them open for him. It was hard for her to sit still, and finally she didn’t care if she was still or not. Holding her legs became less about him and more about something for her to anchor herself. Her eyes fell closed and the pleasure became more intense.

Torian looked up to see her eyes closed, her cries timed perfectly with his thrusts. Her nails bit into her knees where she held her legs open for him. As tight as she was, he was grateful for her wetness when her orgasm finally hit her. She squeezed and undulated around him. It took everything he had not to go with her. He stopped moving and stroking her clit at the same time, letting her ride the waves of pleasure until her body calmed.

She was gasping from the shattering sensation her body just went through when Torian started thrusting into her again. His hands were at her hips and he was pulling her against him as hard as he was thrusting into her. Her breath hitched at the sight of him. He was beauty and power made manifest, and he was hers. Completely. Feeling emboldened, she forced herself into a sitting position, pushing him to his back.

He slipped out, but she was quick to guide him back into her. She rocked her hips experimentally, putting his hands on her legs. She studied his face, and finally his eyes. There was a predatory gleam there she’d seen only when they were working. But this wasn’t about the kill, this was about something else. Something more masculine. She shifted and moved over him until she found a rhythm she liked. A series of rocks and rolls that hit her in the places she liked the most. Soon, she was riding him for all she was worth.

Her cries of pleasure mixed with his heavy breathing and occasional growl. Torian couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was like a wild cat. There was nothing tame about the woman he loved at that moment. She was not going to be denied anything she wanted, and he didn’t want to deny her. He pulled himself into a sitting position, giving her something to hold on to.

He pushed the boundaries and guided her back, letting her lean against one of his arms while he ducked his head and sucked at her breast, alternating between that and gentle bites and licks. His other hand slipped between her legs and began to stroke her again. He was getting close, too close, and he needed her with him. He couldn’t bear the idea of leaving her in need.

Letra locked her fingers in Torian’s hair. The pleasure built inside her, and this time when it exploded outwards from her core, she screamed. Torian’s mouth slanted over hers, his tongue invading. She swallowed his grunts as she felt the heat pulse out of him and into her. They stayed like that for what seemed equally like an eternity and no time at all. Before she was ready, though, he lifted her with trembling arms, pulling her off him.

“ _Gar’nair, cyare. Ratiin_ ,” he whispered. He pulled her down, positioning her against his side so her head was resting on his chest over his heart. “ _Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum_.”

His silky words sent a shiver down her spine. Her eyelids grew heavy. The day’s turbulent emotions catching up to her. Her voice was barely a whisper as she responded, “I love you, too, Torian Cadera. Forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cyare [SHAH ray] – beloved, loved, popular  
> cyar’ika [shar EE kah] – darling, sweetheart  
> mesh’la [MAYSH la] – beautiful  
> ni [NEE] – I, me  
> kar’tayl [kar TILE] – awareness, knowledge  
> ijaat [EE jaht] – honor  
> gar’nair [gar NAIR] – You’re mine  
> ratiin [RAH teen] - always  
> Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum [nee kar TILE GAR da RAH soom] – I love you (lit. I know you forever)

**Author's Note:**

> arue'tal [ah roo TAHL] - traitor's blood  
> aruetii [ah roo AY tee] - traitor, foreigner, outsider


End file.
